Brussels Motor Show 2025 has a blitz start

The Brussels Motor Show (BMS) saw a blitz start regarding visitors this weekend. Almost 80,000 visitors assembled in the Brussels Expo exhibition halls at the Heysel on Saturday and Sunday.

It is already clear that the disappearance of the Geneva Motor Show has a positive effect on the Brussels Motor Show. Last Friday was press and VIP day, and journalists from 35 different countries gathered in Brussels to see the R5 Electric/Alpine A290 become Car of the Year and to count the numerous World, European, and Belgian premieres on the different stands.

More affordable

Never before in recent history have there been so many exhibitors (63 in all), and of the major brands, only Volvo and Nissan weren’t present. The brands that were present didn’t make the mistake of 2023 when tech-laden stands with expensive EVs overwhelmed and disappointed the visitors.

It’s no wonder that the Dacia area was the most frequented stand two years ago. The floor almost collapsed under the weight of the many thousands of interested visitors. That wasn’t the case for most of the other stands. This year, everybody has learned from their mistakes.

The average visitor to the BMS comes to enjoy a day of car spotting or because he intends to buy one and finds the show the ideal place to compare. The exhibitors fully understood this and showed many more affordable cars on their premises. The fact that there were at least seven EVs with prices starting under € 25,000 highly contributed to this.

80,000 to begin with

So, the show started with serious crowds, and around 80,000 people were queuing to get in this weekend. “We knew that presale tickets were very popular this year, but we are delighted that so many people found their way to the Heysel already the first weekend,” says Frank Van Gool, CEO at organizing federation Febiac.

The BMS still runs until Sunday, January 19th, and on Monday and Friday, there will be two so-called ‘nocturnes’ during which the show remains open until 10 p.m.